Songbook: PC
by songbook
Summary: A collection of ficlets inspired by music that describes the relationship of Jean-Luc Picard and Beverly Crusher.
1. Kiss Me Like That

A/N: If you have read any of my other Songbooks, you know how this works, but if not, let me explain. Sometimes songs inspire me, but I don't particularly like doing songfics with the lyrics interrupting the flow of the story. Therefore, I suggest that you listen to the song while reading the ficlet. I post the youtube video on my author's page so you can listen to it. It's more of a mood thing.

This first one is to the song _You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This _by Toby Keith. You can find the video on my page (just click my name on the top of the page). It is PC of course. And I've never wrote a fic that had such little dialogue, so please tell me how I did. I'm trying to improve my non-dialogue descriptions, so let me know if I overdid it. Thanks.

When the esteemed Captain entered the room, no one was surprised to see his Chief Medical Officer on his arm. Everyone knew how close the two were and how she seemed to be the only one who could drag him onto the dance floor at functions such as these. For once, the dress code was not their white dress uniforms; the ceremony called for much more elegance. Namely an older fashioned black tuxedo and a gorgeous emerald gown.

For a woman of her age, Dr. Beverly Crusher could still turn a few heads. The dress was simple in nature, coming all the way up to her pale collar bone in the front, but dropping low in the back to stream all the way to the ground. The medium slit left enough to the imagination while the rest of the dress flowed around her hips to her ankles. The red curls were clipped up on the right side, but the remainder of it rested on her exposed shoulders. However, she was still on Captain Jean-Luc Picard's arm. No man dared to stare too long.

Naturally, most of the night was spent mingling with all the right people: Captains, Admirals, Ambassadors, ect. It was nothing new to either one. It is why he usually invited her to accompany him; she always managed to make light of the boring politics of the entire situation. Everyone knew the friendship ran deep between the two Starfleet officers, but no one was sure where that friendship stopped before turning into something much more serious. Therefore, when they took to the dance floor, every eye in the building rested on the could-be couple.

The song could not be described as having a fast tempo, but it had enough rhythm to keep it from being too intimate. He had protested to her initial request, but it only took a crooked smile to convince him. At least this way he wouldn't have to continue to entertain the chain of command. Plus, he never could refuse her, not when she looked like that. It wasn't a secret of how much he detested dancing, and had nothing to do with holding a beautiful woman in his arms; he just happened to have terrible rhythm. However, this wasn't the first time she had led him into a dance and they had established a system where she did the leading. It did help that she was an expert dancer so she could make it look like he actually knew what he was doing.

This time, though, was different. She stepped in closer than usual, locking her blue eyes with his. At first, they swayed evenly with the tempo, letting her guide him through the simplicity of music. Letting her cheek brush against his, she pulled him into a swifter step, careful to not push him past his limit. Nonetheless, it was out of the ordinary for them. He spun her out and when she returned to his arms, she gracefully forced him to drop his arm a little lower on the small of her back.

As a dancer, she knew how to move her hips to brush against his without letting anyone else in the room notice how close they are. She merely smiled when he sent a questioning glance. Her breath was hot on his neck as she leaned in closer, only to pull away when they changed step. She slipped her slender leg against his inner thigh, pulling herself into the turn. They were now chest to chest, nothing to separate their bodies. It was tantalizing and he wasn't sure how much longer he could let this go on.

They had the entire room's attention now, even the other couples dancing beside them. Everyone could see the difference in their postures tonight. It would be the thrill of everyone in Starfleet to see the two of them as more than dance partners or coworkers. No question about it, they made a perfect pair. The questions and rumors had been circulating for almost a decade. It seemed tonight would be a night for the records- there was no way they could leave that dance as just friends.

The emotions were riveting; the music was sending them spinning through the crowd; he seemed mesmerized by her motions; she determined to make this dance different. The flush in his cheeks was a give away to the effect she was having on him. Her even gaze kept him grounded, however, reminding him of exactly where he was. There was no denying her purpose as the song come to a close.

Everyone clapped politely for the band at the end of the song. However, the Captain and his Doctor remained locked in the embrace. Brazenly, she ran a finger tenderly down his cheek to his lips. As soon as her hand left his face, her lips brushed against his own. It was soft and quick, but it was not a kiss between friends. Any man could tell there was so much more hidden behind the caress. And there she waited for him to respond.

"Beverly," he breathed into her ear. He couldn't keep the emotion out of his voice and she smirked at his struggle. "A woman shouldn't kiss a man like that. He might get the wrong impression."

"Or the right one," she whispered back. He stared, amazed, as she walked away from him when the next song started. It took all of two seconds for him to come to his senses and follow her out of the room. Jean-Luc caught her was she walked out into the chill of the night. Beverly turned around to find him much closer than she had anticipated. There was a resolute look in his eyes as he slipped his hand onto the lower part of her back while the other reached for the curve of her neck. His fingers felt like electricity as they glanced by the exposed skin of the neck and into her red tresses.

This time it was he who initiated the kiss, only he wouldn't let this one be chaste. There was an unchecked passion that took control of the situation as he surrendered himself to her. His tongue pressed for entrance and when it finally granted, they battled for dominance. All the years of ignored feelings and buried needs came rushing to the surface. The kiss left them both breathless and clinging to each other for support.

"You shouldn't kiss me like this unless you mean it like that." Beverly's breathless words caused him to smile.

"And if I do?"

"Kiss me again." Jean-Luc Picard was only too happy to oblige his Doctor's orders.


	2. Something to Talk About

**Something to Talk About**

**A/N:** I was just going back and reading my reviews before I posted this when I realized that someone had requested this song. I giggled at the fact we both had the same idea…I can tell you I found this song on my own and decided it was perfect and then seeing that, I know it is. The song is by Bonnie Raitt and you can find the link on my home page. Please, please, please take the time to listen to the song because it is wonderful. And I'm back to writing Star Trek again. And my Harry Potter people, please don't hate me. I am still working on Amor est Vita.

Captain Picard answered the ring of his door and to his most pleasant surprise, there stood Beverly Crusher. She was out of uniform, but looked quite comfortable in the blue dress that gently captured all of her curves. Clearing his throat, he tore his eyes from her figure to invite her inside.

"Beverly, what can I do for you tonight?" Once the door had slid shut she turned to face him, biting her lip in the most adorable sheepish look only she could pull off.

"Well…I have-" she paused thoughtfully, looked him up and down and continued nervously. "There is something I want to talk about."

Jean-Luc raised an eyebrow, but gave her a patient smile. "Would you like something to drink?"

Beverly waved him off. Shaking her head she walked over to the couch and sat down. He could not help but notice the hemline of her dress, while it almost reached her knees when she stood, gave a very nice view of her toned, long legs. To distract himself, Jean-Luc went over to the replicator and fixed himself some tea as she sat in silence, contemplating her words.

"I heard the most interesting rumor today."

"Oh?" He took a sip and seeing she was unwilling to continue he added, "Not that I mind, but isn't this usually something you and Deanna like to discuss?"

Beverly frowned slightly. "Yes, but I have a feeling she's heard this one."

"And you think I haven't?" Jean-Luc crossed the room to sit in a chair across from her. He noticed she was wringing her hands nervously, but chose to ignore it.

"I've heard it before…I mean, the nurses in Sickbay seem to know everything. And for a while, it seemed like just conjecture…"

"What did?" Clearly the gossip in her Sickbay had reached a point that was bothering her.

She suddenly glanced at him with a shy smile on her face. "Well, according to half my staff, we- you and I- have quite the secret romance going on." Jean-Luc coughed into his tea at the revelation.

"I wasn't aware of that," he managed to say.

Beverly laughed and he marveled in the way her eyes lit up. "That was my reaction. They have overanalyzed every time we touch, talk, laugh, or whisper. Apparently, I've been missing out on quite a steamy sex life. I feel very left out."

"You and I both." They both laughed at their own expense. A moment of silence fell between them, but was interrupted by Beverly.

"Jean-Luc?"

"Hmmm?" He took another sip of his tea and tried not to meet her eyes. Whatever was going on in that beautiful mind of hers had to be trouble.

"Well, it got me thinking…" She cocked her head to one side, staring at him with an innocent expression on her face. Leaning forward, Beverly reached out a hand to lay on his knee. If Jean-Luc did not know any better, he would say she was trying to seduce him. "What if there is something to what they are saying?"

He shifted uncertainly in his chair and set his tea down on the table. "I'm not sure I follow…"

"Jean-Luc, I have tried to get the image of you and I out of my head ever since I heard the rumor in the first place…and to be honest, I haven't been very successful. I guess I have always noticed the spark between us, I just kept ignoring it. But it's becoming a little hard to ignore. I was just wondering," she paused, letting her words sink in. "If you felt the same way?"

"Beverly…"

"Jean-Luc?"

There it was. That sexy little way she said his name. And paired with the coy look on her face, he was at a loss. While he fumbled to find the words to answer her question, Beverly slowly stood up from her place on the couch. Clearly amused at her ability to render the Captain speechless, she lowered herself onto his lap. Then, running her fingers over the fabric of his uniform she leaned in to kiss him smoothly.

"And at some point in all this thinking, I decided that if they are going to talk about us, we might as well give them something to talk about."

Jean-Luc slid one of his hands up her bare thigh and the other pushed gently on her back. She smiled as she moved in to kiss him again. There was no need for words to explain his feelings. He was doing just fine with his lips, tongue, and hands. Years of unspent passion flowed between them and all the longing of two friends was poured into a kiss. When the time for air left them both gasping in each other's arms, he reached up to caress her face.

"Beverly, I have loved you-"

"I know." She said simply with a light blush. Or was it just the flush of her cheeks from the heat of the kiss?

"I mean it. I love you…" He was met with another kiss.

"I love you too, Jean-Luc." Before she could say or do anything else, there was a beep from a comm badge.

"Riker to Crusher." Jean-Luc let out what sounded like a groan at the sound of his First Officer's chipper voice.

With apologetic eyes, Beverly answered, "Crusher here."

"We were just wondering if you were planning on coming to poker tonight. We're ready to deal." She rolled her eyes and started to answer, but Jean-Luc covered her mouth with his hand. There was a mischievous look in his eyes.

"She's a little busy at the moment, Number One." Beverly buried her head into his chest trying to stifle the giggles that had just overcome her.

There was an awkward pause and then, "My apologies, Captain, I didn't realize the two of you were working on something tonight." Jean-Luc's grip on her waist tightened as she tried to conceal her laughter.

"Yes, well, this may take all night, but I'm sure she'll make an effort to be there next week."

"Captain?" Clearly, Will Riker was doing his best to decipher just what the Captain and Doctor were doing and what exactly could take all night that was more innocent than the images he was conjuring up.

"That'll be all Number One. Picard out." There was a chirp that ended the conversation and Beverly's rich laughter filled the room.

"Oh goodness, Jean-Luc, they are probably having a fit right now…" She lapsed back into giggles and was soon joined by his own chuckles.

"You're the one who said we should give them something to talk about." Jean-Luc gazed back at her with a smile on his face. There she was, the woman he was so desperately in love with, sitting on his lap, loving him back.

"So you think this will take all night?" she teased.

"Oh, yes. Only I don't intend on spending all of it in this chair when I have a perfectly good bed."

"Make it so, Captain."


	3. Arm's Length Away

**A/N:** To be honest, I'm not sure where this came from. This song, which is beautiful, left me with a variety of choices for a fic. My first draft was all Picard: his thoughts on their relationship. However, after reading it, I hated it, and deleted it. This is what came to me next. Some of the original draft found its way to this piece, but originally, Beverly wasn't going to be in it at all. Let me know what you think, although, it is quite possible this song will show up again later in this Songbook.

**A/N 2: **The song is _Arm's Length Away_ by Sammy Kershaw. When I was searching for a recording of this song on the internet I didn't like anything I found. Therefore, I pasted some P/C pictures together in this feeble attempt at a youtube video. Please, someone, please, make a fantastic video using this song. And I thought the lyrics just screamed Picard/Crusher, so I included them, so if you get the chance you should take a look at it. Again, it can be found by clicking on my name and finding it on that little page that is mine to control.

_Arm's Length Away_

She was standing alone in the Operating Room when he arrived. Her nurses were giving her space apparently, because there was no one on this side of Sickbay. She had sent her report to him over forty minutes ago. Now the table in the center of the room was empty and there she stood, arms crossed tightly against her chest, staring at it as if it was the key to turning back time. He knew she had heard him enter and so he waited, ever so calmly, for her to speak.

He was careful to make his expression neutral. If she thought for even a second that he was angry or disappointed, she would unleash all that made Doctor Beverly Crusher a name feared in Sickbays everywhere. Of course, he could not show any sort of pity; she would take that the wrong way too. This was a practice that had him taken years to perfect. So here he was, Captain of the Federation Starship Enterprise, waiting for his Chief Medical Officer to speak.

It took thirteen minutes for her to speak. He felt like Data counting out the seconds until she gained control of her voice. She still did not turn to face him, because she knew he was there, alone and ready to listen. There was no need for him to read her facial expression; he already knew how she was feeling.

"She had two girls. Ana is four and Emma is two. I delivered both of them," she whispered. He resisted the urge to sigh. He knew this of course, because he had just been with Lieutenant Anderson's husband and two small daughters. On a starship, death came more often than not. That did not make his job any easier. Or hers.

Taking a deep breath, he took a few small steps towards her. "Beverly…"

She reached out to clutch the edge of the operating table. Her red hair was still pulled back tightly away from her face. The tension in her shoulders was visible and her knuckles were quickly loosing color as she gripped the table and he stopped dead in his tracks. If he wanted to, he could reach out and touch her, comfort her, hold her. But here he was: standing an arm's length away.

"Every time. Every time, Jean-Luc. Every time I think I have healed another piece of my heart-" her voice caught and she let out a sound that was somewhere between a dangerous laugh and a sob. A few seconds ticked by and he held his breath until she spoke again. "It always comes back. That stabbing pain…knowing there is nothing I can do."

"Some things are out of our hands," he spoke gently.

"That's just it, though. There was nothing I could do. I'm a doctor, damn it. I'm the one who is supposed to have all the answers. I should be able to heal…" She turned her head to see him and she seemed startled that he had gotten so close. There were tear streaks on her pale cheeks and her blue eyes were cloudy. They stared at each other as she tried to formulate where the conversation would go next. "I don't know why this one bothered me so much. She isn't the first young mother I've lost on this table and she won't be the last."

"And there have been so many more that have made it off the table. You have saved lives against all odds." Her eyes fell from his. With a sigh, he stepped forward and unclipped her hair from its constraints and let it fall down around her shoulders. She either did not notice, or mind, the fact that his fingers lingered there and caressed the turn of her jaw. A simple gesture, yes; an intimate one, even; and yet, not close enough. So he pulled his hand away and said, "Like me."

"There isn't really a manual for removing Borg implants," she murmured with a dry laugh that did not quite reach her eyes. He watched as there was a shift in her stance and in that second her eyes locked back with his and she asked, "How long have we known each other, Jean-Luc?"

"Over twenty-five years." This time she really did laugh.

"Makes us sound old." Shaking her head, she sat back against the table. "What would I do without you?"

The question surprised him. They had known each other for nearly three decades. They had been to the ends of the universe together, saved thousands of people, and were probably the single reason the other was still alive. How many battles, how many demons had they fought together? How many times had one of them had to be there to pick up the pieces? Of course, it was not all bad. They had seen their good days and they had shared the joy of laughter and good company.

Those days, the good ones, always ended with an innocent kiss goodnight and the longing for more. So many times he had wanted to reach out and stop her at the door or turn around and walk back into her quarters. Oh, yes, they had known each other for nearly three decades and Jean-Luc Picard had been in love for every second of every day of those years.

"Jean-Luc?" He shook his head, aware he had drifted off.

"My apologies…"

She waved him off, saying, "It's been a long day for both of us." He could tell she was still thinking about Lieutenant Anderson and those young girls who no longer had a mother and the man who was now a widower. Of course, it was something she was familiar with. She too had been widowed at a young age with a young child.

Silently, he reached out his hand. She accepted it graciously and allowed him to pull her close. Chest to chest, she laid her head on his shoulder. This embrace was nothing new, but he felt a familiar pain in his chest. Even touching, they were still so far apart.

"I am always here for you, Beverly." She mumbled something into his shoulder, but the words did not matter. He was there holding her and that was enough for him tonight. It was enough for him to know that it was he who she would come to in moments like these; the moments that truly counted.

For tonight, he could hold her, comfort her, and reassure her. Tomorrow nothing would change and they will still be the closest of friends. There would be days that friendship would border on something more, only to slip back into its comfort zone. And maybe, just maybe, one of these days she would realize that everything she had been looking for was just within reach. One day, she would see that they could love each other without regret.

He was always and forever going to be right there, waiting for her, at an arm's length away.


End file.
